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UAW International Union and GM TO Launch Partnership for Make-A-Wish

9 June 1999

UAW International Union and General Motors Launching Largest Partnership in Make-A-Wish Foundation History

    ROMULUS, Mich., June 8 -- The UAW International Union and
General Motors today kicked off a historic partnership with the Make-A-Wish
Foundation(R) by helping to grant a Michigan child's wish to visit Disney
World.
    Wish child Caleb, from Lupton, Mich., is the first of thousands of
children who will benefit from the UAW-GM commitment to the Make-A-Wish
Foundation, dedicated to granting wishes to children with life-threatening
illnesses.
    To signal the start of their three-year, $9 million partnership, UAW, GM
and Make-A-Wish(R) representatives hosted a send-off for three-year-old Caleb
at the Detroit Airport Marriott Hotel, as he and his family prepared to embark
on a dream trip to Disney World.  While in Orlando, the family will be treated
to an exclusive, VIP look at the new GM Test Track attraction, located at
EPCOT Center.
    "This partnership is about children -- thousands of them -- whose wishes
will come true over the next three years because of the UAW-GM commitment,"
said Paula Van Ness, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Foundation of America,
adding that the three-year agreement represents the largest commitment from a
sponsor in Foundation history.
    "The UAW-GM commitment to the Make-A-Wish Foundation is consistent with
their organizations' common goals to improve the quality of life in
communities across the country," Van Ness added.
    "The men and women of the UAW are proud to support the Make-A-Wish
Foundation, which serves the needs of very special children," said Richard
Shoemaker, UAW vice president and director of the union's GM Department.
"Encouraging people to pursue their dreams helps to build strong work places,
communities and families, and that's important to the UAW."
    "This partnership is another example of the UAW and General Motors working
together for a common cause," said Gary L. Cowger, vice president and group
executive of GM Labor Relations.  "In most cases, the causes affect our
facilities, employees and the communities in which we live and work.  By
teaming with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, we're expanding our influence to
reach children with special needs around the country."
    UAW-GM financial support will come from the UAW-GM Center for Human
Resources, which is jointly operated by the UAW International Union and
General Motors Corporation to develop and administer a wide variety of
education, training and retraining programs.  One of the most comprehensive of
these joint activities is the UAW-GM Work and Family Programs, focusing on
employee-assistance, child-care and elder-care services.
    Since 1984, the UAW and General Motors have committed more than $3 billion
toward education and training, making the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources
the largest privately funded educational institution in the world.
    The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes to children with life-threatening
illnesses.  Through private donations and the efforts of 13,000 volunteers
nationwide, the Foundation granted nearly 7,500 wishes last year and more than
58,000 wishes since it was founded in 1980.
    For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, call (800) 722-WISH
or visit Make-A-Wish Foundation's Web site at http://www.wish.org.